How to Care for a Toy Poodle

By Maria Scinto

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Small animal veterinarian
Well-balanced diet
Grooming implements and/or professional groomer

Step 1:
Keep your toy poodle healthy. You will need to schedule regular trips to the vet for her, once or twice a year, so she can receive the proper vaccinations as well as being examined by the vet. In addition to these isits, you will also need to keep an eye on her general health and well being at home, so you can seek medical advice if she shows signs of developing any problems.
Step 2:
Feed your toy poodle a healthy, well-balanced diet. You may either purchase a commercial diet or make your own pet food following one of many recipes available in doggie cookbooks or online. Your breeder or vet many be able to supply you with such recipes upon request. With a toy poodle puppy it is suggested that you offer about 1/3 cup of food three times a day at morning, noon, and night. With an adult toy you may eliminate the noon feeding, or you may leave food out all day for him to nibble on as "free feeding."
Step 3:
Groom your toy poodle regularly. Many toy poodle owners schedule regular trips to a professional dog groomer every 4 to 6 weeks; others prefer to do the grooming themselves. If you wish to groom your toy poodle on your own, you will need to purchase small electric clippers as well as a brush and comb. Even if you prefer that your dog be groomed by a professional you'll need to do a little maintenance brushing and combing of your own so that your dog does not turn into a matted mess.
Step 4:
Make sure your toy poodle gets plenty of exercise. Even if you live in an apartment and you have house trained your toy poodle to use "wee wee pads" or a litter box, you should still try to take her out for regular walks and she may even enjoy the occasional off-leash romp in a dog park or other protected area, although it is best if you take her to a designated area for small pets only or at least keep a very close eye on her so she is not injured by a larger dog.
Step 5:
Treat your toy poodle gently, always taking care for his small size. If you play with him roughly, or allow other pets or people to do so, this could be very harmful to him. Remember, this little dog is less than 1/20th (or 5 percent) of the size of many full grown adult humans.

Tips & Warnings

Many toy poodles enjoy the water as much as do their larger counterparts, as all poodles were originally bred to be water dogs. If you take your poodle for a swim, though, make sure she doesn't become tired or get in too deep
Teacup poodles are not officially recognized as a breed by the AKC. They are considered to be undersized toy poodles and as such may have a number of health problems due to their having been bred to such a small size

Photo/Video Credit

Wikimedia Commons

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